How to prevent smelly underarms 🤮

[Makeupaddikt]

Hi sorry to write about this horrible subject but well I have horrible smelly underarms, I shave frequently, and shower daily, use deodorant (no particular kind just whatever is on offer) and I still find my underarms are smelly.

Does anyone have any idea what I can do to get rid of this?

@greenelephant
That was how we made dish washing liquid in home economics.

I draw the line using very musky stuff for the kitchen floor :o

that stinky stuff is reserved for dh's sports stuff.

Shave and exfoliate underarms, properly, 3 or 4 times a week.
I use Dove aerosol anti perspirant because I felt like the Sure aerosol (which I'd used for years) made me smell worse.

Also, if you have exceptionally smelly pits of clothes, spray with a mix of vinegar and water, let it sit for half an hour then wash as normal. Gets the smell out of clothes like nothing else.

Spray under the arms of tops with a stain remover before washing. Leave for 5 minutes before washing.
Bar soap and moderately hot water to wash pit, lather up twice.
Mitchum or similar antiperspirant.
If you still have problems after that I would see your GP.

You can buy packets of underarm protectors that have sticky bits that peel off to protect your clothes and stop then absorbing perspiration. You just attach them to the underarm bits of your clothes and should shop damp patches. They come in huge packs that are really cheap from Amazon. My friend had just bought some but is waiting for summer to use them so I can't say how effective they are, but the idea is brilliant. I didn't realise you could even get them.

"But try to stop shaving and see if that makes a difference. I don't shave, and I don't sweat. On the rare occasions I've shaved it's irritated the skin and made me perspire. It may be just a weird individual quirk of mine, but it's worth considering."

If you don't sweat at all you have a health problem.
When I don't shave, I don't notice the smell or the feel of sweat because it's being whisked away from my skin by the hair. When I've shaved, I can notice the sweat more easily. I think that might be why you felt you were sweating more after shaving. You probably weren't, but you could feel it.

"Botox"

Bit drastic at this stage. Let her try Mitchum first!

I read this on MN years ago, and it has really worked for me.

Bicarbonate of soda - from the baking aisle. Some is quite gritty but I get a smooth powdery one from Home Bargains.

Just rub a bit into your armpits then I use an antiperspirant as normal. It really stops the smell - I have tried just about everything else recommended above and this is a game-changer.

Might be a bit harsh if you have very sensitive skin though.

soap not shower gel, seriously!!!!

Shower daily and use those exfoliating gloves to gently scrub under your arms with good soap. Shave regularly. Make sure your pits are completely dry before applying Mitchum. Spray a thin layer to pits, allow to dry for a few seconds, spray second layer and allow to dry.

Wash your tops on a minimum of 40 degrees and use a quality detergent. I know it's the fashion now to only wash clothes once a month at 30 degrees using wacky eco balls but it simply fails to get clothes thoroughly clean and fresh.

Sure or Dove Max strength deodorant, the one in the cardboard box around a £4-£5.

Mitchum - I like the men's cream roll on - but the women's one is nice too I just prefer the smell of the men's one

I have become a big believer in the holistic approach. Not a woo crystals kind of holistic but a whole body approach. I have always been a sweaty betty. I can be very sweaty and not smelly and a wee bit smelly and stinky depending on how well I am taking care of myself.

I use bar soap followed by Dove or Sure Max Protection Cream, I alternate and allow it to sink in before adding a squirt of aerosol anti perspiratant. If you shower at night make sure to use it straight after and add a fresh coat in the morning when getting dressed. Make sure to treat any sweaty clothes as they trap smells very effectively. Don't forget coats and jackets.

For overall health I find too much booze, lack of sleep, too much sugar and junk and not enough plain water all makes me actively smell. If I clean up my life in general I smell much sweeter even when sweaty.

I think Victoria Health do a deodorising supplement also if you need further help?

@ korabora you're absolutely right. It's just not enough to try and keep your armpits clean. You need to wash your bedding and towels very regularly and at a high temperature. Clean underwear every day, and you need to air your bedroom a lot and your whole house in general.

I use do shower gel but always give my bits & pits a going over with bar soap. And in the words of Aggie & Kim from when they did their 'Too Posh To Wash' tv programme (anyone remember?) make sure you scrub each armpit with soap for at least 10 -15seconds.
If you have any polyester or man made fabric tops, it's a good idea to spray the armpits with vodka or white vinegar just before washing or put a drop of zoflora in the washing machine drawer.

My sweat -amount and smell has massively reduced since I gave up coffee and only drink one cup of caffeinated tea a day.

"It's just not enough to try and keep your armpits clean. You need to wash your bedding and towels very regularly and at a high temperature. Clean underwear every day, and you need to air your bedroom a lot and your whole house in general."

This suggests a medical problem to me. A bit of Mitchum and I'm fine. If problem sweating is not menopause related, why not ask a doctor about it. I don't think it should be that hard to avoid BO.

Washing with hibiscrub is the way forward.

It’s the material of high street tops, especially blouses. I swear, at the weekend I live in comfy cotton T-shirt’s, hoodies etc. And I am fine.

As soon as I put a high street top or blouse on though, it’s a sweat fest and I am a clean freak. As in shower at least every day, sometimes twice, with antibacterial shower gel and only wear clothes once before they are washed and hanged to air...

I love Reiss blouses but don’t find them not very hard wearing, e.g they get knicked easy and buttons fall off. However they are the only tops I can find that don’t end up stinking. I often find high street dupes from mango, new look and Zara. But it’s just what they are made of 😫

Nuud is expensive but very very good (I generally only use once a week). It's a deodorant not an anti perspirant but it's basically a waterproof cream full of particles of silver - the silver massively retards the growth of the bacteria that cause the smells.

Soap not gel, simple plain unscented soap. Deodorant and clean clothes

@littlebillie really not enough

Never ?

Mitchum, miracle stuff!

I think some of these antiperspirants are so strong they don't get removed properly so you don't apply them to really clean skin. You get build up and they don't work.

You need to scrub with a proper soap like shield every day with one of those massage sponges.

I stopped using traditional ones and use a crystal one now and don't whiff even in high summer.